Survey finds that most Americans rarely think about hearing loss

Meanwhile, 86% of respondents in the survey said they have participated in noisy activities in the last year.

The survey was conducted online and included more than 2,000 adults living in the United States. The Merck Manuals sponsored the survey, which was carried out by Harris Poll in July 2018. An important finding was that people are reluctant to use some of the most effective hearing loss prevention and treatment techniques available.

The key findings from the survey show that nearly 9 out of 10 respondents (86%) understand that hearing damage can happen even when something doesn’t sound too loud. However, just 64% say they try to take preventive measures to protect their hearing whenever they can.

Nearly a third of Americans (32%) believe it is rare for adults to develop hearing loss at a young age, according to the results. Younger adults aged 18 to 34 years (43%) are twice as likely to believe this, compared to older adults aged over 65 years (21%).

Importantly, two thirds of those surveyed (66%) recognized that if hearing loss runs in your family, you are more likely to be affected. Specifically concerning hearing aids, the survey found that 63% of Americans think that getting hearing aids is essential to one’s quality of life in the event of hearing loss. Interestingly though, as Americans get older, they are more likely to think that getting hearing aids can be very expensive.

Source: PR Newswire